General Assembly's upcoming session and what to look for

STAUNTON - Local Virginia legislative representatives gathered Wednesday morning in Staunton for an annual breakfast before they begin their 2016 session.

The breakfast, hosted by Brightview at Baldwin Park in Staunton, was put together by the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce and featured Sen. Emmett Hanger and Delegates Steve Landes, Dickie Bell and Ben Cline.

Here are some things local representatives brought up during the event:

Budget

Gov. Terry McAuliffe is set to introduce the fiscal 2016 budget on Thursday. According to Hanger, the main focus of the budget will fall to how schools are funded. There needs to be a 3 percent increase in funds to re-benchmark schools, Hanger said.

Healthcare

Landes said there will be a large focus on mental and behavioral health in the upcoming session. Also, there will be an emphasis expanding services for rural hospitals by reforming the system at a state level, Landes said. He also hopes to U.S. Congress will revise the Affordable Care Act.

Workforce development

Bell touched on how the Valley is in a great situation and ahead of the curve when it comes to workforce development. Blue Ridge Community College already paving the way for students to acquire employment with two-year degrees or certifications. The emphasis has been turned away from every student exiting high school to enter a four-year college, rather to obtain training for a specific field of work, Bell said.

Transportation/Economic Development

Cline said Virginia needs to be staying competitive in order to attract larger corporations to the area. One way is to cut the corporate tax rate.

State mental hospital closures

Four of five training centers for state mental hospitals are on the chopping block, Hanger said. The training centers also house patients and the state is looking to close four of them. One in Petersburg has already been closed, while the others are in transition to find places to release patients to. On the other side, Hanger said there will be a push for more community-based services.

Charter schools

Virginia only has seven charter schools compared to neighboring Washington, D.C., who has more than 30, Landes said. Virginia has hit some snags when it comes to bringing more charter schools into the area due to language in the state's constitution. Currently, charter schools are brought in on a local level by proposing them to local school boards.